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I can't quite imagine anyone (Italian pizzaiolo or otherwise) getting so worked up over a pizza order. I think the situation described in the piece was either m

I can't quite imagine anyone (Italian pizzaiolo or otherwise) getting so worked up over a pizza order. I think the situation described in the piece was either much friendlier than the author makes it out to be, or a fantasy that nicely plugs in the eat-pray-love-style "Italians are all about food and simple life and being passionate about everything while gesticulating" memes.

dewiz 11y ago
you clearly never met passionate Italians, food is an important part of the tradition, even more about pizza which is ruined in so many ways around the world :-)
- cperciva 11y ago
  food is an important part of the tradition, even more about pizza Not for all Italians. My paternal grandmother is from northern Italy, but moved to the UK with her new husband shortly after the second world war. My father, growing up with an Italian housewife as mother, experienced a lot of Italian cuisine, but never saw pizza until he went away to university in the mid-60s. Upon returning home one vacation, he said to his mother "I discovered a wonderful Italian dish at university called pizza... why did you never cook this?" -- only to be met by the scornful reply "Pizza? That's what poor people eat!"
  - _ak 11y ago
    Salmon and oysters used to be poor people's food in lots of European countries, as well. Tastes and fashions change.
    - jedrek 11y ago
      And there was a law passed in Maine restricting prisons from serving lobster more than twice a week.
- andrea_s 11y ago
  I think I might have met a few, as I am Italian myself :-) To be honest the story would be much more believable if the writer weren't a foreigner - that kind of reaction from the shop owner is usually reserved for much stronger violations of the "pizza code" (pineapple pizza being the go-to example!)
  - roghummal 11y ago
    What's wrong with pineapple on a pizza?
    - ai_ja_nai 11y ago
      Pizza in Italy is not a sweet dish. Fruits on it are completely inappropriate, as with pasta. The only exception is the chocolate, but it's allowed in stuffed pizza only.
    - andrea_s 11y ago
      Nothing, really (if it works for you!). It's just extremely far removed from the usual way pizza is consumed in Italy. I'm usually annoyed by the many culinary debates we like to have (e.g. when should you put cheese on your pasta), but this one I can relate to :-)
  - Udik 11y ago
    When I read the title, "the pizza that doesn't exist", I actually thought of chicken pizza. In Italy they would kill you only for suggesting the possibility of it.
- EliRivers 11y ago
  In my experience (in the South, Naples region), the tradition of the food is more important than the actual food. I got so sick of Italian cuisine when I was living in Italy; the range of food available is surprisingly limited. People wrote to their local papers decrying foreign restaurants.
  - wrongc0ntinent 11y ago
    The bit about tradition is true. Some of the worst pizza I've had was in italy, right next door to the best pizza I've ever had. Once made the mistake of telling this to an Italian.
    - EliRivers 11y ago
      Once made the mistake of telling this to an Italian. God yes. It's a matter of faith for some that they have the best food, that's all there is to it, and there's no point in having food from other places.
100timesthis 11y ago
when I hear an order with pineapple or chicken I feel worst than that. I don't want to be graphic so I will just say it's like putting something really unpleasant on a pizza.
hussong 11y ago
I'm sure you can easily evoke a similiar parsing error in any programmer ("we want a waterfall process that's agile") or designer ("make it green, but without the green"). The reaction / reactance may or may not be rude or agressive, but that's just how people react individually to confusion / irritation / cognitive dissonance.

dewiz 11y ago

you clearly never met passionate Italians, food is an important part of the tradition, even more about pizza which is ruined in so many ways around the world :-)

cperciva 11y ago
food is an important part of the tradition, even more about pizza Not for all Italians. My paternal grandmother is from northern Italy, but moved to the UK with her new husband shortly after the second world war. My father, growing up with an Italian housewife as mother, experienced a lot of Italian cuisine, but never saw pizza until he went away to university in the mid-60s. Upon returning home one vacation, he said to his mother "I discovered a wonderful Italian dish at university called pizza... why did you never cook this?" -- only to be met by the scornful reply "Pizza? That's what poor people eat!"
- _ak 11y ago
  Salmon and oysters used to be poor people's food in lots of European countries, as well. Tastes and fashions change.
  - jedrek 11y ago
    And there was a law passed in Maine restricting prisons from serving lobster more than twice a week.
andrea_s 11y ago
I think I might have met a few, as I am Italian myself :-) To be honest the story would be much more believable if the writer weren't a foreigner - that kind of reaction from the shop owner is usually reserved for much stronger violations of the "pizza code" (pineapple pizza being the go-to example!)
- roghummal 11y ago
  What's wrong with pineapple on a pizza?
  - ai_ja_nai 11y ago
    Pizza in Italy is not a sweet dish. Fruits on it are completely inappropriate, as with pasta. The only exception is the chocolate, but it's allowed in stuffed pizza only.
  - andrea_s 11y ago
    Nothing, really (if it works for you!). It's just extremely far removed from the usual way pizza is consumed in Italy. I'm usually annoyed by the many culinary debates we like to have (e.g. when should you put cheese on your pasta), but this one I can relate to :-)
- Udik 11y ago
  When I read the title, "the pizza that doesn't exist", I actually thought of chicken pizza. In Italy they would kill you only for suggesting the possibility of it.
EliRivers 11y ago
In my experience (in the South, Naples region), the tradition of the food is more important than the actual food. I got so sick of Italian cuisine when I was living in Italy; the range of food available is surprisingly limited. People wrote to their local papers decrying foreign restaurants.
- wrongc0ntinent 11y ago
  The bit about tradition is true. Some of the worst pizza I've had was in italy, right next door to the best pizza I've ever had. Once made the mistake of telling this to an Italian.
  - EliRivers 11y ago
    Once made the mistake of telling this to an Italian. God yes. It's a matter of faith for some that they have the best food, that's all there is to it, and there's no point in having food from other places.

100timesthis 11y ago

when I hear an order with pineapple or chicken I feel worst than that. I don't want to be graphic so I will just say it's like putting something really unpleasant on a pizza.

hussong 11y ago

I'm sure you can easily evoke a similiar parsing error in any programmer ("we want a waterfall process that's agile") or designer ("make it green, but without the green"). The reaction / reactance may or may not be rude or agressive, but that's just how people react individually to confusion / irritation / cognitive dissonance.